Every year, my family celebrates the New Year twice - once on January 1^st, and again on Chinese New Year! Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, follows the lunar calendar, and this year it lands on February 10th, 2024. Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people around the globe, particularly in Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Vietnam. Each year in the lunar calendar is related to an animal, and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon! While every family will have their own unique traditions and meals, Chinese New Year is all about celebrating and spending time with family and friends. 

Traditions

Our Chinese New Year traditions are observed to bring us good fortune for the year ahead and avoid bad luck. One thing I learned when I started celebrating with my husband’s Taiwanese family was not to clean on Chinese New Year - because it is believed you may sweep or throw away good luck! Now, I always take that day off from cleaning, even if it means letting the laundry pile up. However, I make sure our red clothing is cleaned in advance and ready to wear on Chinese New Year - red is a lucky color in China, because it represents happiness, success, and good fortune. Our family also tries to wear a piece of red clothing on other days of the year when we need an extra bit of luck. 

Another tradition, which the children in our family especially love, is the distribution of red envelopes. Grown-ups give what is known as “lucky money” in red envelopes to children to pass on good fortune and blessings. It’s important for us to always make sure the bills in the envelope are new and crisp, and that we should avoid dollar amounts that include the number four, which is considered an extremely unlucky number in Chinese culture (on the flip side, the number eight is the luckiest number). 

Food 

Food is a very important part of Chinese New Year- and if you ask my child, it’s probably the most important part. Typically, our family gathers for a big dinner, where traditional Chinese dishes such as spring rolls, noodles, and dumplings are served alongside items that have specific meanings and are thought to bring good fortune.

For example, Chinese New Year for our family always involves plenty of oranges. Oranges symbolize good luck because the fruit resembles gold. My Mother-in-Law also prepares red bean buns, along with rice cakes and long noodles. These long noodles, also known as “longevity noodles,” represent a long life. We make it into a fun game and try not to cut or bite the noodles into pieces- it’s thought that the longer the noodle, the longer your life! 

Celebrations

Chinese New Year festivals are often filled with lots of color, fireworks, and parades. Many Chinese restaurants and institutions will have a dragon dance, which is accompanied by dancers, acrobats, and lots of music. Chinese New Year celebrations are fun for everyone of all ages and cultures to attend! You can also bring the festivities of Chinese New Year into your home by making your own Chinese paper lanterns, fans, and red envelopes. 

Check to see which Chinese New Year Events are happening at your nearest library: https://pbclibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?q=chinese%20new%20year. Our Family Resources page is available to check out additional events, information, and training on a variety of topics!